by Living Liminal cross posted from her blog Living LiminalBack in the day, there was a concept known as the "Divine Right of Kings". This meant that if you happened to be lucky enough to be born into the right family, you got to rule - no questions asked.You got to do and say whatever you pleased and no-one had the right to challenge you. You got to dictate to others how they lived and what they believed.You had God himself in your back pocket! … [Read more...]

by Ellen cross posted from her blog When Church HurtsDonald Miller has a post at Storyline (storylineblog.com) that stunned me in its accuracy in describing my former pastor. The title of the post is How Do So Many Good People Get Away With Bad Things? As my husband and I read through the post together last night, we agreed that no other writer has so precisely captured the characteristics that surrounded our experience. … [Read more...]

by Ellen cross posted from her blog When Church HurtsI read an interesting post at pimppreacher.com this weekend. You can find the full article here: http://pimppreacher.com/post/111132531195/is-your-pastor-or-pastors-wife-a-sociopath.In it, the author lists seven “patterns of behavior” for sociopathic pastors and/or their wives. As my husband and I read through this list together, we were astonished, once again, at the parallels to our own experience.“#1 Sociopaths Never Apologize and Are Incapable of Feeling Shame, Guilt or Remorse.” Those of you who have read my story know that there was never an apology, and ultimately, it was my husband’s demand that they apologize to me t … [Read more...]

by Ellen cross posted from her blog When Church HurtsKeep reminding yourself of how much God loves you. Choose a scripture, song, inspirational statement that you can remember throughout the day.While I began this practice shortly after being tossed out of the church, I must credit my friend, Jennifer Boykin, with the term “Obsession Appointments.” … [Read more...]

by Samantha Field cross posted from her blog Defeating the Dragons You might have heard the news that broke just a little while ago– Mark Driscoll has officially resigned from being a pastor and elder of Mars Hill. This is exceedingly good news, and while I was not exactly joyful to hear it, I am hopeful that those who have been abused by Mark and the Mars Hill leadership can gain some hope and comfort from this. Mark Driscoll wasn’t the only problem at Mars Hill– no one becomes a spiritual abuser of thousands all by themselves– but he was the most visible example of misogynistic, abusive Christianity and I’m glad he’s gone. … [Read more...]

by Living Liminal cross posted from her blog Living LiminalThings came to a head a couple of months later when the church was invited to participate in an annual prayer event. It seemed like a no-brainer, yet after praying about it, both elder M and I felt unaccountably uneasy. Elder R was overseas at the time (an increasingly regular reality) and was happy to abide by the decision of rest of the team. Elder J, however, was insistent we participate and after several quite painful communications between the three of us, declared his intention of announcing our involvement to the rest of the church that Sunday. I was beside myself by this time! … [Read more...]

by Cindy FosterIt would be the last sermon we would ever endure as members of the Baptist Taliban.We hadn’t planned for it to be, even though by that time, we were painfully aware that our leaving was inevitable. It was just a matter of how and when. My husband already … [Read more...]

by CaluluI went home crying, shocked that my pastor had gone back on his word like that. It was a betrayal that left me reeling emotionally. Cried for days feeling a sense of deep betrayal. The pastor was quiet that week, no emails or phone calls.I told my husband that I thought the time was right for me to join him at the other church and that I had no intention of going back to the old church as a member ever again. He was the recipient that afternoon of quite a few emails from Tom Smith telling him that he was dicing with his very salvation by attending this main stream denomination filled with homosexual abortionists.Fast forward a week. Hubby and I both agree that the best … [Read more...]

Vyckie Garrison started No Longer Quivering to tell the story of her “escape” from the Quiverfull movement.

Over time, NLQ has developed into a valuable resource of information regarding the deceptions and dangers of the Quiverfull philosophy and lifestyle. Several more former QF adherents are now contributing their stories to NLQ and our collective voice makes these Quiverfull warnings impossible to dismiss or ignore.

NLQ is a gathering place for women escaping and recovering from spiritual abuse.

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